


Providence

by Actually_A_Tree



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, Holding Hands, Hurt/Comfort, Moon, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14664369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actually_A_Tree/pseuds/Actually_A_Tree





	Providence

His feet sink into the sand, grains shifting beneath his sandals in short-lived craters. The sun has long since made its round across the blazing sky, leaving an expanse of endless bloody crimson in its wake. In olden times, the sky used to be blue at certain times of the day. But now, in this dying land, the world has not seen blue in many years. Now, an eternal sunset is all that is left to watch over the ocean of sand and ash and its lone explorer.

_Clank, clank, badink, crunk. Clank, clank, badink, crunk._

Well, not lone, although he still is coming to terms with the change. He is pulled from his musings by the incessant, rusty sounds of wheels trying to accommodate chunks of sand. Various rocks and particles quickly accumulate in the nooks and crannies of his follower, who began to simply wander behind his cloak some time ago. Without a master to guide it, the creature seems to enjoy just taking in the eroded scenery, gradually becoming more and more battered. 

The broken down robot is a curious likeness to the beings that used to live here, likely shaped in the image of their creators. A grotesquely carved mouth curves upwards beneath a triangle-shaped hunk of metal that could nearly be called a nose. Sunken sockets reveal watchful eyes, the only true evidence of the being hiding behind the rust.

_Clank, clank, badink, crunk. Clank, clank, badink, crunk._

He suddenly pauses, and extends a hand to his fellow traveller. The sounds of the robot halt as it processes the situation. Then, a series of ear-piercing squeaks echo across the landscape as the thing's arm raises and allows a metal claw to fall heavily into his hand. He forces himself to hold back a grin; after all, his friend is hardly the only one falling into disuse after the fall of the humans.

“After you,” he says, indicating for the creature to pass.

Meeting his eyes, the creature nods in renewed determination. It moves with several agonizing creaks and iron certainty to take the lead. He follows behind, hand grasping firmly onto the given claw.

They walk like that for days.

Years.

Centuries.

Millenia.

A barely living wind grasps feebly at their joints and throws dust in spiteful flings. The sun races around the sky, metamorphosing from a blazing ball of fiery red to cobalt blue before finally fading to a perfect black.

When the last dying stars finally become the only light in the burnt-out world, he again examines his friend. The claw, once solid and warmed in the sun, has mostly crumbled. The wheels and bolts that once held everything together have long since ceased to work. Then, his eyes widen in surprise when he spies the decaying humanoid hand beneath the metal. 

"You... You're Fate."

The remaining bits of the claw tighten around his fingers in confirmation, but the being remains silent and facing forward. He tries again.

“Don't you think that we've walked far enough, Fate? There's nothing left to see. We can leave." He nearly chokes on his bitter tone.

Gears creak as aged mechanisms begin to open the jaw, and the creature speaks.

“Don't be silly, Time. We have a path to follow.”

"It's too far. There hasn't been a change in forever."

"But, you, my friend, _are_ forever. And I am everything in between the cracks."

"Then fill in the cracks, already, and stop teasing!"  
Eyes flicker in mild amusement inside the rust.  
“Fine. Watch this."

Time feels something beneath his foot, and he jumps, barely keeping step with his partner. "What-!"

A golden flower springs innocently where he once stood.

Fate amuses themself a bit more, raising more flowers from under the sand and forcing him to leap across the ground.

"Hey!"

"I apologize. You asked for a change, so I have given you change."

Time leans forward towards the strange specimen standing stagnant in the atmosphere. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. What is it?"

Fate grins, a scar in the metal screeching as it stretches across their face.

"It's Hope."

Time turns sharply, incredulity marring his expression.

"Hope can't exist here anymore- this place is a complete wasteland! Have you gone as insane as our creators?" He says, gesturing wildly to the still surroundings, the desolate ash, and the dark sky.

The robot simply stares at him, and Time forces himself to relax. 

" I thought Hope died a long time ago," he explains. "That's why we are so aimless."

"That isn't true," patiently replies Fate. "It's why we _were_ so aimless. Hope has always been here. We simply lost it along with the blue skies and the many stars."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. We are curious beings ourselves, just like the humans. But don't you agree that, of all the things to lose, Hope is certainly the worst?"

He thinks for a moment. He remembers the times of solitude, of meandering and stumbling over the fallen civilizations. He recalls the joy of finding another traveller, and the creaks that echoed as they walked in circles through centuries. Finally, he kneels down to stare at the inconspicuous flower.

"I suppose so."

They are silent after that, simply preparing themselves for what was to come. Hope would soon sprout in tiny patches across the sand and ash and bloom into life. A new era would arrive with new creatures to drive it forward. The skies would turn a new colour, and the stars would blink out and then return with a vengeance after being forgotten. By the moment Time looks up again, Fate can already see the rebirth of the world. Golden flowers sprout from between the empty spaces in the crumbling metal.

The two gaze into the ocean of dust ahead. Then, with nothing and everything left to believe in, they take a step forward. Then another, and another. Together, by the light of a few remaining stars and a new future, Fate and Time move forward.


End file.
